Known backpacks are exemplified by the following United States patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,233,803; 4,085,873; 4,767,039; 4,883,207; 5,209,384; 5,255,834; 5,275,316; 5,370,287; 5,458,278; 5,634,576; 5,632,429; 5,743,447; and U.S. Des. Pat. Nos. 249,594; 250,226; 316,177; 336,409; 339,225; 340,134; 345,049; 348,151; 358,023; 360,072; 396,745. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 373,472 discloses a carrier for a stored ball. U.S. Des. Pat. No. 369,524 discloses a cooler having a top with a baseball hat configuration thereon. Pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/992,013, filed Dec. 17, 1997, and pending U.S. Des. patent application Ser. No. 29/090,281, filed Jul. 6, 1998, both of which were invented by the present Applicant, disclose carrying bags, and in particular backpacks, including a storage compartment adapted to store and protect headwear received therein.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved carrying bag and in particular a backpack, which is adapted to receive and store oversized objects, and in particular sports balls including basketballs, soccer balls and footballs.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved storage compartment for headwear. Hat storage devices are exemplified by U.S. Des. Pat. No. 161,844, U.S. Des. Pat. No. 205,909 and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 318,174. These known storage devices for headwear do not provide means for removable attachment to a supporting element, as for example, the strap of a carrying bag or a backpack, or the belt of a wearer. It is therefore another primary object of the present invention to provide a headwear storage device including means for removably attaching the device to a supporting element worn or carried by the user.
Other objects and advantages of the improvements of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following discussion.
In accordance with the present invention, a carrying bag, and in particular a backpack, includes at least one compartment formed, at least in part, from an expandable material. An oversized object, as for example, a basketball, soccer ball or football, is received within the compartment which expands to accommodate the oversized article. The compartment can include closure means, as for example a zipper, to securely retain the oversized article in the storage compartment. When the article is removed from the compartment, the expandable material automatically retracts into a non-extended position in which the storage compartment is oriented substantially planar to the surface of the carrying bag from which it extends. Preferably, the expandable storage compartment is defined on the rear surface of the carrying bag or backpack, and expands in a rearward direction so that the oversized article stored in the extended storage compartment is oriented away from the body of a wearer when the backpack is being worn.
In a further aspect of the invention, a storage device for headwear includes means for removably attaching the device to a supporting element, as for example a strap of a carrying bag or backpack, a belt worn by a wearer, or belt loops on the clothing of a wearer. In this manner, the storage device for headwear can be carried by a user attached to a backpack on occasions when the user is wearing or carrying the backpack, or can be attached to a different supporting element (such as a belt or other article of clothing) on occasions when the user is not carrying the backpack.